If The Fates Allow
by ballistics belle
Summary: "You keep up that attitude and Santa's not going to leave you any hand grenades in your stocking" a series of Christmas/holiday drabbles surrounding Steve/Danny and the rest of 5-0. slash
1. Hang a Shining Star

**A/N: **So Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I've decided to put together a punch of drabbles surrounding the holiday season. Feel free to send me ideas either based on Christmas songs or traditions and I'll do my best to incorporate them in. This first one is actually a story that I originally wrote for NCIS called "Hang a Shining Star". I just adapted it for 5-0.

'_Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light…'_

Frank Sinatra's low voice floated through the house as Steve worked slowly in the kitchen. Out in the living room he could hear Danny singing along softly as he finished putting the last of the ornaments on the tree. The sun was setting slowly over the ocean behind him, casting a warm glow over the house.

Christmas Eve would be just them. Tomorrow they would pick up Grace and pile up all the gifts under the tree to celebrate the holiday with the rest of the 'family'. And that's what 5-0 was. One big dysfunctional family.

Kono and Laurie felt more like little sisters to Steve than Mary did at times. Chin was that wise uncle who always seemed to have the right advice at the right time and Max was that strange cousin that you're not quite sure how you're related but he's at every family function.

"Well, that's one way to do it, Steven." He looked over at Danny standing next to him and then down at the task in hand. He had been threading popcorn and cranberries onto a string to hang on the tree as garland but he had gotten distracted and hadn't remembered to alternate, so now there was now about a foot of straight popcorn.

"What is the point of this anyways?" Steve asked, trying not to sound flustered as he began to roughly pull the fluffy kernels off the string. A few pieces crumbled in his hand.

"It's tradition." Danny stated as if it were obvious as he took the string out of his boyfriend's hands. Steve frowned. Danny had spent the entire season indulging in Christmas traditions and some of them didn't make any sense to Steve.

"Are there any other traditions I need to be aware of? Or have we finally reached the end of the list?"

"I could explain mistletoe to you again." He replied with that classic Danno smile. He smiled too. Their first experience with mistletoe had resulted in an argument over the effects of brainwashing during the holiday season which then led to make up sex instead of a kiss. "Hey babe, look." He looked up to find Danny holding a handful of something green over their heads.

"Those are needles from the tree, Danno." Steve pointed out. He frowned.

"Just shut up and kiss me." He leaned over and placed a kiss that was way too short for Steve's liking upon his lips. "Can't pull anything over on you." Danny mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Steve asked sweetly.

"Nothing babe." Danny smiled brightly. "Ready to finish the tree?" He held up the now fixed string of edible garland and he followed him into the living room where the tree was set up in a crowded corner near the TV.

As Danny began to wrap the garland around the tree, Steve couldn't help but wonder what his parents would think of him if they saw him celebrating Christmas with his loud mouthed Jersey boyfriend. He hadn't really celebrated the holidays since his mother had died so many years ago. It was probably for the best back then when the bad memories overshadowed the good one. Now with Danny and Grace in his life, Steve was able to find his Christmas spirit again with new, good memories to treasure.

"A little help here, Steven." He looked over at his partner and found him entangled in a mess of lights and popcorn as he tried to place the garland on the top of the tree. He burst out laughing. "Yeah, laugh it up Super Seal. Next year you can decorate the tree." Next year? It made Steve smiled. Danny was actually willing to make a commitment again and it was with him.

"Having some problems over there babe?" He laughed as he started to untangle him.

"I do not know why I agreed to buying an almost seven foot tall tree." Danny complained.

"The tree is proportional to the rest of the room."Steve stated. "You're just not proportional to the tree." He added with a wicked smile. Danny frowned.

"You keep up that kind of attitude and Santa's not going to leave you any hand grenades in your stocking." He warned. Steve rolled his eyes. "But, if you're a good boy, I may let you open your present early." Danny whispered suggestively.

Steve groaned, really wishing that he wasn't all tangled up in the tree. He'd much rather be tangled up with him. After he finally managed to remove his partner from the tree and finish hanging the garland, he pulled Danny into his arms and the two stood back to admire their work.

"It's missing something." Danny declared softly. Steve frowned. He couldn't think of anything else to put on the tree. It already had lights, ornaments, garland and tinsel, what else was left? "It needs a star." Danny pulled a box off one of the side tables and handed it to Steve. Inside was a beautiful gold and crystal adorned star that looked almost identical to the one that had sat atop the Christmas trees of his childhood.

"Danny…I….how did you…." Tears filled his eyes and they said everything he couldn't.

"Do you want to put it up?" Steve nodded and carried the star over to the tree where he carefully placed the star atop the tree and then stepped back to stand next to Danny. He pulled him tightly in his arms and placed a kiss on the top of his head.

"Merry Christmas, Danno." He said kissing him properly.

"Merry Christmas, Steven."

'_Hang a shining star upon the highest bough, and have yourself a merry little Christmas now'_


	2. Mele Kalikimaka

**A/N: **This one comes from a suggestion by Kit Merlot of a scene with Steve and Danny bantering about the decorations on the outside of the house where Steve wants something and Danny refuses.

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"No."

"Danny, you're being unreasonable." Steve whined. "It's Hawaii for god sakes."

"I don't care." Danny replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "There is no way you are putting _that thing_ up in front of our house. It's practically sacrilege!"

"Now you're just being dramatic." Steve stated. "It's festive."

"It's an abomination." Danny countered. "If you are going to insist upon putting a giant Santa in the front lawn then it should at least be one wearing a bright red fur trimmed suit, NOT one wearing a tacky Hawaiian shirt and board shorts." He explained. Steve could see he was trying hard not to lose his patience.

"It's 70 degrees out, Danny. Santa wearing a fur suit here is about as ridiculous as your insistence upon wearing a tie."

"It's tradition, Steven. Santa lives in the North Pole where, similar to this god forsaken island, they only have one season and that is winter. It is not practical for Santa to walk around in beach attire during a blizzard. Of course, I don't expect you to know that because I don't think you've ever even seen snow." Danny ranted.

"I saw snow at Annapolis, Danno. I wasn't impressed. And you do realize that Santa Claus isn't an actual person. He's a fictional character that parents make up in order to get their children to behave." Steve declared. Danny just looked at him.

"You're a cold hearted man, Steven J McGarrett." He said sounding slightly hurt. "I better not hear you say anything like that around Grace, do you understand?"

"She still believes?" Steve asked, slightly incredulous.

"Yes, she still believes. She's still a little girl and Rachel and I have no intentions of spoiling her childlike innocence any sooner than we have to. Grace believes there is a Santa Claus and he does NOT look like that." Danny pointed to the lawn ornament lying in front of them.

"It's a difference in culture, Danny. In Jersey you have white Christmases and fur trimmed Santas. Here, he rides the waves and the only thing white is the sand on the beach." Steve said. Danny still didn't look convinced. So Steve decided to try a different tactic. "If I stop making fun of your traditions, will you let me put up my decoration?"

"You are a piss poor negotiator, babe." Danny frowned. Steve did too as he thought for a moment.

"You can have complete control over the indoor decorations if I can decorate the outside." Steve offered. Danny shook his head.

"Everybody sees the outside, not the inside. How do I know we're not going to end up with Santa driving a tank on the roof with camouflage reindeer?" He exclaimed. Steve sighed. He knew he only had one bargaining chip left.

"If I get you a real, live Christmas tree, will you shut up and let me have my Hawaiian Santa?" Steve said, giving his final offer.

"It is impossible to get a real Christmas tree on this island. I have tried. It cannot be done." Danny declared. Steve smirked.

"I know a guy." He shrugged.

"He knows a guy." Danny repeated, rolling his eyes. "Of course you know a guy. You're Super SEAL." He added in a slightly mocking tone.

"Do you want your tree or not?" Steve asked, knowing what a real Christmas tree would mean to his partner.

"I feel like I'm selling my soul to the devil." Danny grumbled a little as he contemplated the offer. "Fine, you can have your Santa. But it better be a pretty damn impressive tree Steven. Not some lame ass Charlie Brown tree." He warned as he conceded.

"Charlie Brown tree?" Steve questioned.

"I do not even want to think about how deprived your childhood must have been." Danny shook his head.

"Well, now that we finally got that settled. What are we going to do about the lights?" Steve asked. Danny threw his head back and groaned.

This was going to be a long Christmas season.


	3. A Thrill of Hope

**A/n; **these drabbles are not necessarily connected to one another. _O Holy Night _is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I have like half a dozen versions of it on my iPod. And Kit Merlot, I have your other idea but I'm still working on it, don't worry ;). Please, send me your ideas for holiday related situations for our main men!

Danny insists upon playing Christmas music in the Camaro.

Normally, Steve doesn't really care what kind of music is playing in the car. Most of the time he and Danny don't pay any attention to it because they're talking (arguing) about whatever case they're currently working on. On rare occasions he does control the music it's usually to play something that will irritate his partner in order to distract him from whatever stupid thing Steve's just done. So when Danny starts messing with the radio the day after Thanksgiving Steve doesn't think twice about it.

Until he hears it.

"_No." Steve states forcefully as he reaches for the radio._

"_No?" Danny repeats, looking at him in surprise. "What is exactly is it that you are opposed to?"_

"_Whatever it was that just violated my eardrums." Steve replies, slightly disgusted._

"_Are you serious right now?" Danny asks._

"_Yes. I am not spending the next month listening to fifteen different versions of Jingle Bells being repeated on an hourly basis. I would rather be water boarded than suffer through that kind of auditory torture." Steve insists. Danny just kind of looks at him for a minute. _

"_Did the SEALs shrink your heart three sizes too small when you joined? You Grinch, how can you not like Christmas music?" He exclaims. "It's part of setting the whole mood for the season."_

"_Setting the mood?" Steve raises an eyebrow._

"_It's called Christmas spirit, Steven and it's something you are clearly lacking. You have now made it my personal mission to make you love the holiday season as much as Grace and I do." Danny announces. Steve just groans and bangs his head against the head rest in defeat._

So now he sits, two weeks and thirty six versions of Sleigh Ride later, in the Camaro waiting for Danny to finish saying goodbye to Grace after their weekend together with Christmas carols keeping him company in the car.

Danny hadn't been kidding when he told him how much he and Gracie liked Christmas. The two had spent the weekend at Steve's house baking cookies, watching Christmas cartoons and decorating the tree that he had found stuffed away in a back corner of the attic. Steve had put up resistance to all of the activities at first but it was just a front to protect his reputation. He was actually starting to enjoy the holiday. Something that he hadn't been able to do since his mother had passed.

His mother had loved Christmas. It was her favorite time of year and she would always go all out decorating the house and doing things with him and Mary to celebrate. She always did her best to make it special for them especially since their traditions tended to differ from those of the island natives. After she died, Steve had lost his "Christmas spirit" and for the most part ignored the holiday which was easy considering that most years he was deployed during the holidays. Now back in Hawaii with his new ohana, Steve was beginning to embrace the season once again. A new song began to play and Steve closed his eyes as he recognized the gentle music that was playing.

"_O holy night, the stars are brightly shining_

_It is the night of our dear savior's birth…"_

It was one of his mother's favorite songs. He could remember the sound of her voice carrying through the house as she sang through her chores. He reaches over and turned the radio up slightly as Danny exits the house.

"_Long lay the world in sin and err pining_

_Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth_

_A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices _

_For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…"_

Steve looks at his partner as he gets back into the Camaro.

_A thrill of hope._

It's exactly what Danny has given him. A thrill of hope for a future and a family that he thought he'd lost so many years ago.


	4. All is Calm, All is Bright

**a/n: **so I have to admit I got the idea for this from the Pampers commercial. Makayla is Steve and Danny's daughter from my other series and this isn't necessarily connected to that.

_Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace—Silent Night_

Steve had never truly experience the wonder of Christmas until he saw it through the eyes of a child. And not just any child but his own child. Makayla had just turned three a few months ago and this was the first Christmas that she was old enough to be fully aware of what was going on and what it all meant. She was completely enchanted by it all. They could see it in her eyes every time she saw a decorated tree or a string of twinkling lights.

When the season first began, she was much like Steve as she quietly took in and assessed everything. The more she began to understand and grasp the concept of the holiday the more she turned into Danny's child-full of energy and impatience. At her age, twenty five days was a lifetime and she woke up every morning with the same question: "Did Santa come yet?"

Her favorite thing seemed to be the Christmas tree. Makayla would lie underneath it for hours at night watching the way the twinkling white lights would reflect off the ornaments on the tree. All the breakable ornaments had been placed up higher on the tree and out of the reach of her curious little hands but she had shown little interest in touching them. She just liked to look.

Today, they had taken Makayla to the mall to see Santa and get her picture taken with him. She wore the dress that Casey had bought and sent to them and Grace had helped them do her hair. Seeing her all dressed up like that, Steve began to realize that his baby wasn't a baby anymore and it made him a kind of sad. He knew Makayla wouldn't stay little forever but it was so easy to protect when he could just scoop her up into his arms and hold her tight as he shielded her from the world. Her problems were simple and he could easily fix them. But now she was slowly gaining her independence and didn't want Daddy's help anymore. She wanted to do it herself.

Just like when they were standing in line to see Santa. Makayla didn't want either of them to come with her even though she was barely tall enough to reach Santa's knee.

"I a big girl." She declared simply and toddled off, leaving her fathers to watch.

The excitement of the day had gotten to her though and she barely made it through dinner before falling asleep in her spot under the tree. Steve smiled as he watched the angelic expression that overcame his daughter's face as she slept. He loved Makayla and everything her three year old presence brought to his and Danny's life. But it was moments like this, when she was peaceful and calm, that he fell in love with her a little more.

Once she was changed and placed in her bed, Steve couldn't help but stay and watch her sleep a little bit longer. One of the greatest gifts he'd ever received was wrapped in pink fleece footie pajamas and a well loved green blanket. He leaned over the side of the crib and placed a gentle kiss on her head.

"Sleep in heavenly peace, Mak."


	5. Or Daddy Looked A Lot Like Him

**a/n: **Back just in time for the holiday!

_Well Santa looked a lot like daddy_, _or daddy looked a lot like him. It's not the way I had him pictured, Santa was much too thin. He didn't come down the chimney, so mama must have let him in. Santa looked a lot like daddy or daddy looked a lot like him.—Travis Tritt, Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy_

Grace recognized the soft pitter patter of her little sister's feet outside of her door a moment before it creaked open and Makayla came sneaking in.

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" Grace inquired as the younger girl came to stand next to her.

She really wasn't surprised by her presence. It was Christmas Eve and Makayla was full of enthusiasm that only a five year old could possibly possess for the holiday. She had been reluctant to go to bed earlier when their fathers' had instructed because she had wanted to stay up so that she could meet Santa Claus. Danno had, of course, informed her that Santa wouldn't come until she was asleep and so the sooner she went to bed, the sooner Christmas morning would come. Grace could see that Makayla was skeptical of the situation but it didn't want to risk Santa not showing up so she had obeyed the instruction. Seeing her now awake and out of bed, Grace could only smile. She knew her sister wouldn't last.

"I saw Santa Claus." Makayla declared in a whisper.

"Really?!" Grace replied, over doing her excitement slightly in an attempt to keep up the ruse. She had learned the truth about Santa years ago but played along for the benefit of her sister's innocence.

"Yeah." The younger one nodded, shifting slightly on her feet and Grace couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem as excited as she should have been about seeing the man she was so curious about.

"What's wrong? I thought you wanted to meet him." She prodded.

"I did!" Makayla responded, her voice still just above a whisper. "B…b…b..but but but…." She started to stutter.

"But what?" Grace encouraged gently. Makayla's language skills tended to slip when she was emotional and clearly her encounter with Santa had set her off somehow.

"But I don't know!" She exclaimed. "I don't know if it was really him!"

"Why not? Was he wearing a furry red suit and hat?" Grace asked.

"Yes." Makayla confirmed. "But he…he…he wasn't fat and…and…and he didn't have a big white beard." She added, seeming distressed by this information. "He's a'possed to have a big white beard and be fat. Why wasn't he fat, Gracie?"

"I don't know, Mak. Maybe Santa is on a diet? He has to take good care of himself so that he can keep doing his job." Grace pointed out.

"But his hair!" Makayla cried, not reassured at all by her sister's suggestion. "It's wasn't white! It was…was…was yellow, like…like…like Danno's!" Realization suddenly set in for Grace and she had to bite back a smile. She knew exactly who the little girl had seen downstairs.

"Maybe Santa got a makeover?" She offered weakly and it was clear that Makayla wasn't buying it if the frown on her face was any indication.

"Gracie," She whined. "What if something b…b…bad happened to Santa? What if a bad guy took him and now he's pretending to be him?"

"I don't think Santa Claus has been kidnapped, Makayla." Grace stated with an air of confidence.

"How do you know?" Her little sister pleaded.

"I….just know, alright?" She shrugged.

"I don't believe you." Makayla retorted with her hands on her hips. "I think something bad happened to him and I'm gonna go tell Daddy and Danno. They find Santa and catch the bad guy and save Christmas!" She shouted.

"What is going on in here?" Danny's head suddenly popped through the door and he shot Grace a quick look before frowning down at his youngest. "What are you doing out of bed? I thought I told you to go to sleep so that Santa would come." He informed. Makayla quick turned and ran towards her father.

"Danno! Somebody s…s…s…stole Santa!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around his legs.

"What?" He questioned. He shot Grace a confused look as he reached down to pick Makayla up and place her on his hip. "Why do you think someone stole Santa?"

"I saw him! But it wasn't the _real_ Santa, it…it…it was a _fake_ Santa! Someone stole him. You and Daddy have to find the _real _Santa or Christmas won't come!" Makayla exclaimed, totally worked up now. Grace shook her head at her father behind her sister's back.

He was so busted.


End file.
